The next day classes went on as usual and Sol acted as though nothing eventful had happened which greatly unnerved those who were stalking him last night.

“Why not ask him what happened last night?” Harry asked.

Hermione raised an eyebrow, “Do you think he’d tell us?”

“No,” Harry’s spirits dampened.

“Why are we even doing this?” Ron groaned.

It was lunchtime and the three were whispering to one another as they ate their food with the other Gryffindor students. The hustle and bustle of students meant that the contents of their conversation went unnoticed.

“Don’t you want to know what he’s doing? Especially why he’s sneaking around at the dead of night?” Hermione tried to arouse his curiosity.

“Well, I would be if it wasn’t Sol doing it,” Ron sighed, “Mate, you won’t ever catch him.”

“It’s like you’re talking about the Phantom.”

“The Phantom?” Harry looked confused.

“The Phantom?” Hermione repeated, “From the musical Phantom of the Opera? It’s really famous, you know?”

“Haven’t seen it,” Harry shook his head.

“If even he hasn’t, then how will I?” Ron chimed in.

Hermione felt stifled. She realized she was talking to the wrong people about Muggle entertainment.

“A-Anyway, we should really see what he’s up to. The last time he did things without us, the entire school closed down. I don’t want that again.”

“Me neither.”

“I agree.” The other two agreed.

Hermione exhaled deeply, “So, let’s ask him once and see if he tells us. If he does we can help him and if he doesn’t then we follow him and find out what he’s doing.”

“I know for certain that it’ll be the latter of the two,” Ron shook his head helplessly.

“Don’t be such a cynic, mate,” Harry slapped his back.

“Ugh, let’s just get this over with.”

“Now?” Harry and Hermione asked in unison.

“Then when?”

Hermione answered, “When we find him alone? He definitely won’t tell us in a public place.”

“…yeah, let’s go with your idea.”

The three stopped talking about it and started chatting on other topics. Like the verdict on Hagrid’s trial and how they could save Buckbeak, the Hippogriff.

----------------------------------------

Flash forwarding to a time they found Sol alone, the three kids walked up to Sol with the resolve to ask him what he was doing.

Sol was leaning on the couch with a book in his hand. With his head resting on one hand, he seemed engrossed in whatever book he was reading.

“Uh, Sol,” Hermione called from behind. Sol closed the book and looked behind him, seeing Hermione, Harry, and Ron looking his way.

“Yes, what can I do for you guys?” he smiled amiably at them.

“What were you doing last night?” Harry asked bluntly only to get glared at by Hermione.

“Nothing that will get the school shut down again,” Sol seemed to have seen through them and their worries.

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“Yes, but what exactly?” Hermione decided to shed any pretense and asked again.

Sol put his index finger to his lips and smiled cheekily, “Can’t say~”

“Come on-” before they could press on, Sol raised his hand and stopped them.

“Don’t you guys have more important things to attend to?” Sol said suggestively, “Like trying to save Buckbeak? His execution day has yet to be fixed, so, I suggest you figure out ideas to stop that from happening. Who knows how Hagrid will turn out if Buckbeak really gets killed?”

“What can we do?” Harry sighed and sat next to Sol. The matter with Hagrid was far more important in his mind.

“I say, let nature play its course,”

Harry was about protest angrily when Sol continued, “Of course, I don’t mean you should just let it get killed. I’m just saying that there’s still time, maybe the solution will come to you guys in time. And if you’re too late, there’s nothing to worry about. This is a world of magic, I’m sure there’s some sort of magic that lets you travel back in time.” He said the last sentence before briefly glancing at Hermione. She stiffened unknowingly.

Harry’s spirits lifted but dampened again, “But how can we use this magic even if we did know about it?”

“I’m sure there’s someone out there with the power to help you,” Sol patted his back and got up, “However, that someone won’t be me. I’ll see you guys later.” He left the three to their devices and went into the fourth year’s sleeping quarters.

After he was gone, Ron scratched his head, “Was he talking about Time-Turners?”

“Time Turners?” Harry’s frown deepened.

“They’re like pendants with a small hourglass in them. You use them to travel back in time.”

“There’s something like that?”

“Uh, yeah but the possession of them is very strict. You need special permission from the Ministry just to own one.”

“Then isn’t his advice practically useless?” Harry grumbled in frustration.

“Well, if he said it then it might not be. I don’t recall him ever giving out useless advice.”

Hermione who had been quietly listening to the conversation suddenly interjected, “Sol didn’t really tell us what he was doing, did he?”

Both Ron and Harry were taken off-guard by the realization. Dumbfounded, they watched her stomp her feet and gnash her teeth angrily.

On the other hand, Sol who was lying down on his bed sighed helplessly. “So, cause and effect still exist even if they are minuscule. But what I don’t fucking understand is- why is the Law trying to stop me from heading into the Vaults? Is this a ‘damned if I do, damned if I don’t’ situation? I die if I go in there and I die if I don’t go in?”

He had already reported his findings to the Headmaster. While he kept the broken wand, the Headmaster kept the book to decipher it. The two concluded that the wand may be the key to unlocking the next Vault.

However, the problem being they didn’t know which of the two vaults came next. Sol decided to take a gamble and go to the Vault of Fear next. It was definitely not because he was lazy to go into the Forbidden Forest.

He decided to slack off for a day or two before he went into the next Vault. And by slacking off, he really meant prepping for the next Vault. With the next one being the Vault in the library, he decided to prepare more fire-based potions. If his prediction of Boggarts ends up being wrong, then it might just be book-based enemies.

Sol did feel it was too on the nose but after fighting a literal Ice Knight inside the Vault of Ice, not so much.

He lazed on the bed for half an hour before going out for a walk. It was afternoon, so, he still had some time before the curfew though a curfew never stopped him.

Sitting on the shores of the Great Lake, Sol watched the sunset on the horizon. Picking up flat stones, he skipped on the water. The stones skipped 4 or 5 times before sinking.

He couldn’t help but think about what he was going to do after this was all over. Or rather, if it was ever going to be over. He held out hope that the problems with Voldemort would end with the end of Harry’s seventh year at Hogwarts. But with the addition of R, he wasn’t sure when it would end for him. Perhaps, if he were to solve all the Vaults, then he would have time to think for himself.

As he ruminated, someone tried to quietly make their way to him. He did not react and simply continued skipping stones. Once the person was right behind him, they stopped.

“Sol?” hearing the familiar voice full of concern, Sol smiled wryly and looked up. There, Katie was bending forward and looking at him.

“Hello, Kate,” Sol stopped looking at her and patted the ground beside him. Taking his invite, she nimbly sat down next to him.

“So,-” Sol continued, “-what made you come here?”

“You looked like you had something on your mind,” Katie hurriedly explained.

Sol chuckled, “I see…”

“So, mind telling me what’s got you so down?” she took a stone and skipped it as well. Sol did not respond and the two stayed silent as the setting sun dyed them orange.

After a while, Sol spoke, “…I’m just thinking about the future- my future.”

Katie grinned cheekily, “Am I there in your future?”

Smiling helplessly, Sol shook his head, “I can’t even see myself in my future.”

“Well, glad to know even you worry about your future,” Katie raised her arms overhead and stretched. “To those who know you, you don’t seem quite human. So, I’m glad to know you’re acting just a little bit our age.”

“Not human, eh?” Sol’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. But that comment didn’t shock him as much as the fact that he was acting as an adolescent boy did.

“So, don’t worry too much about it,” she patted Sol’s shoulder. “Everyone thinks about it once a while, some earlier than others. The answer will come naturally.”

“…fuck.” Sol quietly cursed under his breath. Wasn’t this the advice he gave to answer his friends just a while ago?

As expected, he is the worst at following his own advice.